Of one Berrie, or herbe Trueloue, and Moonewoort.

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The description.

Herbe Paris rifeth vp with one small tender stalke two handes high, at the very top whereof come foorth fower leaues directly set one against another, in maner of a Burgunnion crosse or a true loue knot; for which cause among the auncients it hath beene called herbe Trueloue: in the middle of the said leaues commeth a starlike flower, of an herbie or grassie colour; out of the midst whereof there ariseth vp a blackish browne berrie: the roote is long and tender, creeping vnder the earth, and dispersing it selfe hither and thither. The small Lunarie springeth foorth of the ground with one leafe like Adders toong, iagged or cut on both sides into fiue or sixe deepe cuts or notches, not much vnlike the leaues of Scolopendria or Ceterach, of a greene colour; whereupon doth grow a small naked stemme of a finger long, bearing at the top many little seedes clustering togither, which being gathered and laide in a platter, or such like thing, for the space of three weekes, there will fall from the same a fine dust or meale of a whitish colour, which is the seed, if it bring foorth any. The roote is slender and compact of many small threddie strings.

The place.

Herba Paris groweth plentifully in all these places following, that is to saie, in Chalkney wood neere to wakes Coulne, seauen miles from Colchester in Essex; and in the wood by Robinhoods well, neere to Nottingham; in the parsonage orcharde at Radwinter in Essex, neere to Saffron Walden; in Blackburne at a place called Merton in Lancashire; in the moore by Canterburie called the Clapper; in Dingley woode, sixe mile from Preston in Aundernefse; in Bocking parke by Braintre Braintree in Essex; at Heffet in Lancafhire; and in Cotting woode, in the north of Englande; as that excellent painfull and diligent Phifition mafter doctor Turner of late memorie doth recorde in his Herball. Lunaria or fmall Moonewoort groweth vpon drie and barren mountaines and heathes. I haue founde it growing in thefe places following, that is to faie, about Bathe in Somerfetfhire in manie places, efpecially at a place called Carey, two miles from Bruton, in the next clofe vnto the churchyarde; on Cockes heath betweene Lowfe and Linton, three miles from Maidftone in Kent. It groweth alfo in the ruines of an olde bricke kill by Colchefter, in the grounde of mafter George Sayer, called Miles ende: it groweth likewife vpon the fide of blacke Heath, neere vnto the ftile that leadeth vnto Eltham houfe, about an hundreth paces from the ftile: alfo in Lancafhire neere vnto a woode called Faireft by Latham: moreouer in Nottinghamfhire, by the weft woode at Gringley; & at Wefton in the Ley field, by the weft fide of the towne; and in the bifhops fielde at Yorke, neere vnto Wakefielde in the clofe where fir George Sauell his houfe ftandeth, called the Heath Hall, by the relation of a learned doctor in phificke, called mafter Iohn Merfhe of Cambridge, and many other places.

The time.

Herba Paris flowreth in Aprill, and the berrie is ripe in the ende of Maie. Lunaria or fmall Moonewoort, is to be feene in the moneth of Maie.

The names.

One Berrie, is alfo called herbe Trueloue, and herbe Paris: in Latine Herba Paris. Lunaria minor, is called in Englifh fmall Lunarie & Moonwoort, it is called likewife Ophiogloffon.

The temperature.

Herbe Paris is exceeding colde, whereupon it is proud to repreffe the rage and force of poifon. Lunaria minor is colde and drie of temperature.

The vertues.

The berries of Herbe Paris giuen by the fpace of twentie daies, are excellent good againft poifon, or the powder of the herbe drunke in like manner halfe a fpoonefull at a time in the morning fafting. The fame is miniftered with great fucceffe, vnto fuch as are become peeuifh, or without vnderftanding, being miniftered as is aforefaide, euery morning by the fpace of twentie daies, as Baptista Sardus and Mathiolus haue recorded. Since which time, there hath beene further experience made thereof againft poifon, and put in practife in the citie of Paris, in Louaine, and at the bathes in Heluetia, by the right excellent Herbariits Mathias de L'obel, and Petrus Pena, who hauing often read, that it was one of the Aconites, called Pardalianches, and fo by confequence, of a poifoning qualitie, they gaue it vnto dogs and lambes, who receiued no hurt by the fame: wherefore they further profecuted the experience thereof, and gaue vnto two dogs faft bound or coupled together, a dram of Arfenicke, and one dram of Mercurie fublimate, mixed with flefh, which the dogs would not willingly eate, and therefore they had it crammed downe their throtes: vnto one of thefe dogs, they gaue this antidote following in a little red wine, whereby he recouered his former health againe, within a few howers; but the other dog, which had none of the medicine, died incontinently. This is the receit. > R. *utriufque Angelica, (innuit) domesticam, & siluestrem Vicetoxici, Valeriana domestica, Polypody querni, radicum Althea, & Vrtica, ana ʒ.iiij. Corticis Mezerei Germanici, ʒ.ij. granorum herba Paridis, N.24. foliorum eiufdem cum toto, Num. 36. Ex maceratis in aceto radicibus, & siccatis fit omnium puluis.* The people in Germanie do vfe the leaues of Paris herbe in greene wounds, for the which it is very good, as reporteth Ioachimus Camerarius, who likewife faith, that the powder of the rootes giuen to drinke, doth fpeedily ceafe the gripings and paine of the collicke. Small Moonewort is fingular to heale greene and frefh wounds; it ftaieth the bloodie flixe. It hath beene vfed among the Alchymiftes, and witches to do wonders withall, who fay, that it will loofe locks, and make them to fall from the feete of horfes that grafe where it doth growe, and hath beene called of them Martagon, whereas in truth they are all but drowfie dreames and illufions, but fingular for wounds as aforefaid.